''Cestrum parqui'', commonly known as palqui, green cestrum or willow-leaved jessamine, is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

native to

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

. In Australia the plant is regarded as a noxious invasive weed and a significant hazard to livestock (especially cattle) which may eat it inadvertently or during shortages of other foods, often resulting in death. In cultivation in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

this plant has gained the

Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr (Nort ...

’s

Award of Garden Merit The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established annual award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions. History The Award of Garden Merit ...

. (confirmed 2017).

Description

''C. parqui'' is a fast-growing, straggling, woody, semi-evergreen

shrub A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees ...

that grows over 3 metres tall (or more in warmer areas) with one or a few fragile green stems. The alternate, light green leaves have an unpleasant rubber-like smell when crushed. It produces terminal sprays of small, pungent-scented, tubular yellow-green flowers 2.5 cm long from spring to autumn, followed by bunches of small, black, egg-shaped berries produced from summer to autumn. All parts of the plant are reported to be highly toxic.

Reproduction

The small, black fruits of ''Cestrum parqui'' are highly attractive to birds, which play a major role in seed-dispersal, passing the seeds in their droppings: seedlings are thus often found growing under perching trees, along fencelines, and in creek banks, where it is also dispersed by water. Because of its easy dispersal and being a

garden escape Escaped plants are cultivated plants, usually garden plants, that are not originally native to an area, and due to their dispersal strategies, have escaped from cultivation and have settled in the wild and bred there, whether intentionally or ...

, it is considered to be a

noxious weed A noxious weed, harmful weed or injurious weed is a weed that has been designated by an agricultural or other governing authority as a plant that is injurious to agricultural or horticultural crops, natural habitats or ecosystems, or humans or liv ...

in Australia, where it is even prohibited for merchandising in New South Wales.

Uses

Medicinal

The plant contains toxic

alkaloid Alkaloids are a class of basic, naturally occurring organic compounds that contain at least one nitrogen atom. This group also includes some related compounds with neutral and even weakly acidic properties. Some synthetic compounds of similar ...

s. It has been used in

folk medicine Traditional medicine (also known as indigenous medicine or folk medicine) comprises medical aspects of traditional knowledge that developed over generations within the folk beliefs of various societies, including indigenous peoples, before the ...

to treat tumours and

haemorrhoids Hemorrhoids (or haemorrhoids), also known as piles, are vascular structures in the anal canal. In their normal state, they are cushions that help with stool control. They become a disease when swollen or inflamed; the unqualified term ''hemo ...

and possesses sudorific (=

perspiration Perspiration, also known as sweating, is the production of fluids secreted by the sweat glands in the skin of mammals. Two types of sweat glands can be found in humans: eccrine glands and apocrine glands. The eccrine sweat glands are distrib ...

-inducing),

laxative Laxatives, purgatives, or aperients are substances that loosen stools and increase bowel movements. They are used to treat and prevent constipation. Laxatives vary as to how they work and the side effects they may have. Certain stimulant, lubri ...

and

antispasmodic An antispasmodic (synonym: spasmolytic) is a pharmaceutical drug or other agent that suppresses muscle spasms. Smooth muscle spasm One type of antispasmodics is used for smooth muscle relaxation, especially in tubular organs of the gastrointesti ...

properties. Decoctions or infusions of the plant have also been administered in cases of

intermittent fever Intermittent fever is a type or pattern of fever in which there is an interval where temperature is elevated for several hours followed by an interval when temperature drops back to normal. This type of fever usually occurs during the course of an ...

and an infusion of the inner bark drunk to treat unspecified "stomach ailments". A

poultice A poultice, also called a cataplasm, is a soft moist mass, often heated and medicated, that is spread on cloth and placed over the skin to treat an aching, inflamed, or painful part of the body. It can be used on wounds, such as cuts. 'Poultice' ...

prepared from the plant (part unspecified) in combination with ''

Solanum nigrum ''Solanum nigrum'', the European black nightshade or simply black nightshade or blackberry nightshade, is a species of flowering plant in the genus ''Solanum'', native to Eurasia and introduced in the Americas, Australasia, and South Africa. Ripe ...

'' (part unspecified) and the crushed stems of

Vitis vinifera ''Vitis vinifera'', the common grape vine, is a species of flowering plant, native to the Mediterranean region, Central Europe, and southwestern Asia, from Morocco and Portugal north to southern Germany and east to northern Iran. There are curre ...

, the grape vine, is believed in folk medicine to have anti-inflammatory properties. A crude extract of its aerial parts in

methanol Methanol (also called methyl alcohol and wood spirit, amongst other names) is an organic chemical and the simplest aliphatic alcohol, with the formula C H3 O H (a methyl group linked to a hydroxyl group, often abbreviated as MeOH). It is a ...

water displayed inhibition of carrageenin-induced

oedema Edema, also spelled oedema, and also known as fluid retention, dropsy, hydropsy and swelling, is the build-up of fluid in the body's tissue. Most commonly, the legs or arms are affected. Symptoms may include skin which feels tight, the area ma ...

Tobacco substitute

Carl Hartwich - in his monumental work on recreational drugs of 1911 ''Die Menschlichen Genussmittel...'' (trans. 'The Pleasure Drugs of Humankind...'), - records the following:

On the island of Chiloe, when there is a lack of
tobacco Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...
, the Cholos Indians replace it with another Solanacea ''Palguin'' or ''Palquin'', which they apparently smoked before the first .e._tobacco_derived_from_various_Nicotiana_species.html" ;"title="Nicotiana.html" ;"title=".e. tobacco derived from various Nicotiana">.e. tobacco derived from various Nicotiana species">Nicotiana.html" ;"title=".e. tobacco derived from various Nicotiana">.e. tobacco derived from various Nicotiana speciesbecame known. The plant, Cestrum parqui L'Her. , a small tree with lanceolate leaves and yellowish-white flowers, appears to be widespread in South America, it is found throughout Chile and the southern states of Brazil. In Chile they say of a well-known person: 'He is as famous as ''Palqui'' '. The leaves (which are toxic to cattle) and the wood are used medicinally. I was able to detect a trace of alkaloid in the latter. [translated from the original German]

Ritualistic

Branches of ''Cestrum parqui'' are used to slap patients during Machi (shaman), shamanic healing ceremonies utilising the hallucinogenic plant ''Latua, Latua pubiflora'' held by the indigenous

Huilliche The Huilliche , Huiliche or Huilliche-Mapuche are the southern partiality of the Mapuche macroethnic group of Chile. Located in the Zona Sur, they inhabit both Futahuillimapu ("great land of the south") and, as the Cunco subgroup, the north hal ...

people of the

Los Lagos Region Los Lagos Region ( es, Región de Los Lagos , ''Region of the Lakes'') is one of Chile's 16 regions, which are first order administrative divisions, and comprises four provinces: Chiloé, Llanquihue, Osorno and Palena. The region contains ...

of southern

. This is done in the belief that the foul smell of the ''Cestrum'' leaves is abhorrent to the demons believed to be causing the patient's illness and will cause them to leave the patient's body in

vomit Vomiting (also known as emesis and throwing up) is the involuntary, forceful expulsion of the contents of one's stomach through the mouth and sometimes the nose. Vomiting can be the result of ailments like food poisoning, gastroenteriti ...

. Plowman, Timothy, Gyllenhaal, Lars Olof and Lindgren, Jan Erik ''Latua pubiflora'' magic plant from southern Chile ''Botanical Museum Leaflets Harvard University'' Vol. 23, No. 2, Cambridge, Massachusetts, November 12, 1971.

Gallery

File:Cestrum parqui 2.jpg, Specimen flowering in Royal Botanic Garden, Madrid. File:CESTRUMPARQUIFLOR.JPG, Close-up of willow-like leaves and greenish flowers. File:Cestrum parqui kz01.jpg, Flowers File:Cestrum parqui flowerhead NC1.jpg, Flowerhead

References

External links

Weed Identification

{{Taxonbar, from=Q289811 parqui Flora of Chile Garden plants of South America Invasive plant species in Australia Plants described in 1788